#tax-compliance
Tax Compliance
Stay compliant with tax regulations and filing requirements
Texas R&D Franchise Tax Credit Jumps to 8.722% — and Becomes Refundable for Small Businesses in 2026
Effective January 1, 2026, Texas SB 2206 raises the R&D franchise tax credit from 5% to 8.722% (10.903% for university-partnered research), makes it refundable in cash for businesses under $2.65M revenue and new veteran-owned businesses, aligns definitions with federal Form 6765, and repeals the R&D equipment sales tax exemption.
Trump Account Gift Tax Rules: The IRS Safe Harbor That Spares Most Families From Form 709
IRS Revenue Procedure 2026-25 (June 29, 2026) creates a gift tax safe harbor for Trump Account contributions: individual donors whose total gifts to a child stay under the $19,000 annual exclusion owe no Form 709 filing, resolving the future-interest question raised by the accounts' lock-up until age 18.
Washington Just Doubled the B&O Tax Filing Threshold — Here's What Actually Changes for Your Business
Effective July 1, 2026, Washington raised the B&O tax filing threshold from $125,000 to $250,000 in annual gross income and increased the small business credit caps to $375/month for service businesses and $125/month for nonservice businesses — here's who can stop filing, who still owes nothing, and what obligations remain.
Wepplo v. Commissioner: The Tax Court Case That Could Refund COVID-Era IRS Interest
The U.S. Tax Court is weighing whether IRC Section 7508A(d) barred the IRS from charging interest between January 20, 2020 and July 10, 2023. Building on Abdo and Kwong, Wepplo v. Commissioner gives taxpayers with a Tax Court decision a one-year Rule 261 window to seek interest redetermination — independent of the July 10, 2026 protective refund claim deadline.
Whigham v. Commissioner: Why Home Equity Can Sink a 'Currently Not Collectible' Claim With the IRS
In Whigham v. Commissioner (T.C. Memo. 2026-55), the Tax Court upheld an IRS levy against a taxpayer with a genuine hardship story because he held over $190,000 of equity across four properties and offered no proof it was inaccessible. This guide explains how Reasonable Collection Potential values real-estate equity at roughly 80% of fair market value, why bare hardship assertions fail Currently Not Collectible reviews, and what documentation self-employed taxpayers need before a CDP hearing.
Alta Wind v. United States: Why You Can't Use a Tax Credit to Inflate Its Own Basis
On July 8, 2026, the Court of Federal Claims ruled in Alta Wind v. United States that Section 1603 renewable-energy grant basis must come from actual documented costs plus a 15–20% developer markup — not a DCF valuation where 98% of the value came from the anticipated grant itself. The circularity principle governs every investment tax credit basis calculation, from a $1B wind farm to a small business's rooftop solar array.
Autónomo Taxes in Spain: Cuotas by Real Income, IRPF Withholding, and the €80 Flat Rate Explained for 2026
Spain's autónomo cuota is income-based across 15 tiers (roughly €205 to €1,606/month at a 31.5% rate), reconciled after your annual tax return via regularización. New freelancers can pay a flat €80/month for 12 months and withhold IRPF at a reduced 7% instead of 15% — but choosing 15% once forfeits the reduced rate. Here's how the 2026 rules fit together.
Besicorp v. Commissioner: Why the IRS Couldn't Collect a $380 Million Penalty — and What a CDP Hearing Can Do for Your Business
In Besicorp Group v. Commissioner (June 29, 2026), the Second Circuit blocked IRS lien-and-levy collection of $380 million in tax-shelter penalties because the Appeals Officer never verified written supervisory approval under IRC § 6751(b) — even though the penalties were already final after Tax Court. Here is how the Collection Due Process hearing works, what the ruling does and doesn't change, and the five steps a small business should take after a lien or levy notice.
California Competes Tax Credit Extended Through 2033: What SB 180 Means for Small Businesses
SB 180, signed July 13, 2026, extends the California Competes Tax Credit through fiscal year 2032-33. Small businesses can apply in three annual windows for a share of $180 million+ in credits — no minimum size, no fee — but awards come with binding job and investment milestones that demand clean books.
Colorado HB26-1223: How Restaurants Keep Their Sales Tax in July, August, November, and December
Colorado's HB26-1223, signed June 4, 2026, lets qualifying food and drink retailers deduct up to $14,000 of monthly net taxable sales from state sales tax in July, August, November, and December of 2027 and 2028 — worth up to about $3,248 — plus a prepared-food utility exemption or 0.5% credit starting July 1, 2026. Here's who qualifies and how to record it.
Dee v. Commissioner: When Is an IRS Audit Still 'Open' for a Whistleblower Award?
In Dee v. Commissioner (167 T.C. No. 1, July 2026) the Tax Court ruled an IRS examination stays legally "open" for whistleblower jurisdiction until formally closed under Rev. Proc. 2005-32 — yet denied Dee an award because auditors had independently found the same $2 million deficiency a month before his tip, which was built entirely from public SEC filings.
When a Deficit Restoration Obligation Isn't One: What CCA 202628009 Means for Partnership Loss and Liability Allocations
IRS Chief Counsel Advice CCA 202628009 (July 10, 2026) held that a demand-based deficit restoration obligation enforceable only by withholding future distributions is not unconditional, failing both the §1.704-1(b) economic-effect safe harbor and the §1.752-2(b) recourse-liability test — a fact pattern common in family LP boilerplate that can reallocate recourse debt and suspend previously deducted losses.